Escaped inmate captured in multi-agency effort
HEBER SPRINGS — After nearly a week on the run, multiple law enforcement agencies tracked down Jared Clinton West, 41, on Wednesday, April 24. Serving as an inmate-trustee at the Cleburne County Detention Center, West walked away from his work assignment while taking garbage to the dumpster behind the facility on the night of Thursday, April 18.
Detectives with the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office along with the U.S. Marshals executed a search warrant on West’s girlfriend Clarissa Stair, 31, of Heber Springs, on Friday, April 19.
According to an affidavit, Stair “stated she would not have contact with West or assist him in any way.” A tracking device was placed on Stair’s vehicle during the execution of the search warrant.
The device placed Stair’s vehicle in the area where West was believed to be hiding for approximately two minutes and “it is believed Stair took him a change of clothes and food.”
On Saturday, April 20, detectives learned that Stair was driving, stopped briefly, and West walked out of the woods and got in her car. She was tracked to a residence on
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Barnhouse Lane in Judsonia.
Upon making contact with Stair, she told law enforcement “that she in fact did pick up West and give him a ride to the residence.” West was not located at that time. Stair was arrested and charged with hindering apprehension and furnishing an implement for escape. Her bond was set at $75,000. With assistance from Arkansas Department of Corrections search dog teams, and law enforcement from White, Independence, and Faulkner counties, West was finally taken back into custody off Hwy. 89 in Faulkner County.
Cleburne County Sheriff Chris Brown stated in a press release: “We would like to say thank you to all the agencies that helped to bring Inmate West back into custody to answer for his crimes. Several changes have already been implemented into the Trustee Program as a result of this incident, and we will continue to review the program as we move forward.”
West was in the Cleburne County Detention Center on charges of battery, tampering with evidence, fleeing, violation of no contact order, and a felony bond revocation.
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Pursuit leads to
Tennessee man’s arrest
JONESBORO — A middle Tennessee man is facing charges after a pursuit through several counties led to two patrol vehicles being damaged.
Edward Gene Huff, 52, of Clarksville, Tenn., was arrested Friday after the pursuit began on Highway 228 at the Lawrence/Greene County line. No one was hurt during the pursuit, officials said.
A $100,000 bond was set by Craighead County District Judge Tommy Fowler for Huff during a probable cause hearing Monday.
Craighead County authorities released a probable cause affidavit Monday afternoon, providing more details on Huff’s arrest. According to the affidavit, deputies had gotten word about a stolen Jeep Cherokee out of Jonesboro traveling north on Highway 63 near Sedgwick Friday afternoon.
“Deputies attempted to run the Tennessee tag on the vehicle, which returned fictitious,” Craighead County authorities said Monday in the affidavit.
Craighead County deputies tried to pull over the vehicle at Highway 63 and CR398, but Huff accelerated and took off. Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder said his department was contacted about the pursuit just before school dismissed at Greene County Tech Friday afternoon.
“Our department was notified of a pursuit entering Greene County from Craighead County. The pursuit entered Greene County on Hwy 228 at the Lawrence County line.
The pursuit turned eastbound on Highway 412, headed toward Paragould,” Snyder said. “As the suspect vehicle continued eastbound into Paragould, an attempt was made to prevent the suspect vehicle from getting to GCT’s school traffic.”
Both Paragould police and sheriff’s deputies then went to several areas to try to get the vehicle to turn onto the bypass and avoid the bus dismissal at the school.
“Seeing the strong police presence, the suspect went off-road just west of N. 72nd St. The suspect was able to reenter the highway at 72nd St and proceed eastbound toward GCT. Just before GCT, the suspect vehicle left the highway and attempted to evade law enforcement by driving in the back yards of the homes just west of the GCT Administration building. As the suspect made that maneuver, a GCT School Resource Officer attempted to turn into the driveway to pursue and hopefully assist in terminating the pursuit before it re-entered the school zone,” Snyder said. “In doing so, the SRO did not see me in his blind spot and turned left into my path. Both my unit and the SRO’s unit were disabled. I would like to commend Arkansas Highway Police Officer Clairday for being in the right place at the right time, as he was able to safely end the suspect’s potentially deadly driving.”
